EU commercial vehicle regs continue decline

ERJ staff report (LMH)

Brussels -- European demand for commercial vehicles declined further in September, according to new data from ACEA, the federation of European vehicle makers. From January to August, the EU recorded 1 282 248 new vehicles, or 10.7 percent less than in the same period a year earlier. Germany (-4.2 percent), the UK (-3.1 percent), France (-7.7 percent), Spain (-25.7 percent) and Italy (-34.6 percent) all saw their markets contract.

In September, demand for new commercial vehicles was down 13.7 percent in the EU, following the downward trend commenced in January. The UK (+0.7 percent) was the only market to expand, while France (-13.40 percent), Germany (-16.6 percent), Spain (-32.7 percent) and Italy (-28.2 percent) all recorded negative results.

In September, demand for new vans declined across the EU, except in Slovakia (+9.5 percent) and the UK (+1.1 percent), resulting in an overall 13.5 percent decrease. France (-12.4 percent), Germany (-14.6 percent), Italy (-27.6 percent) and Spain (-34.3 percent) all faced a double digit downturn. In total, the region counted 123 938 new vans in the month.

From January to September, 1 041 028 new vans were registered in the EU, or 11.7 percent less than in the first nine months of 2011. Looking at the most important markets, Germany (-2.8 percent), France (-8.0 percent), the UK (-6.3 percent), Spain (-25.9 percent) and Italy (-35.2 percent) all performed less well than last year.

In September, the EU recorded 18 529 new heavy trucks, or 14.8 percent less than in September 2011. All significant markets contracted, from -6.7 percent in the UK to -18.6 percent in France, -22.9 percent in Germany, -28.6 percent in Spain and -33.8 percent in Italy.

Nine months into the year, the decline was 7.7 percent, with a total of 162 355 new registrations. The UK was the only major market to expand (+5.9 percent), while the German (-6.7 percent), French (-7.2 percent), Spanish (-21.0 percent) and Italian (-29.7 percent) declined.

The segment of trucks recorded the sharpest downturn in September (-15.7 percent), with 24 217 new registrations in the EU. The UK (-7.3 percent), France (-19.7 percent), Germany (-20.4 percent), Spain (-30.6 percent) and Italy (-34.1 percent) all saw their market contract.

In the first three quarters of the year, demand for new trucks in the EU* fell by 7.3 percent, amounting to 217 104 units. While the UK posted growth (+11.3 percent), France (-5.8 percent) and Germany (-7.7 percent) similarly shrank, and Spain (-22.3 percent) and Italy (-30.5 percent) faced more severe contractions.

September results in the segment of buses and coaches were diverse across countries, leading to an overall 5.5 percent contraction of the EU market. While the UK (+43.3 percent) and Spain (+5.3 percent) performed better than in the same month last year, France (-22.7 percent), Germany (-26.3 percent) and Italy (-26.6 percent) experienced a double-digit downturn.

From January to September, the segment of buses and coaches was the only one to grow (+3.7 percent), mainly sustained by demand in the UK (+55.0 percent) and Germany (+2.2 percent), while the French (-6.4 percent), Italian (-31.9 percent) and Spanish (-37.0 percent) markets contracted.

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News release from ACEA